Great crested tern taxonomy

The family Laridae was first described by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (October 22, 1783 – September 18, 1840), a zoologist, botanist, writer and polyglot, in the year 1815. The laridae comprises about 100 species arranged in 22 genera (including genus Thalasseus).

The genus Thalasseus was first introduced by Friedrich Boie (4 June 1789 – 3 March 1870), a German entomologist, herpetologist, ornithologist and lawyer, in the year 1822.

The species Thalasseus bergii was first described by Martin Hinrich Carl Lichtenstein (10 January 1780 – 2 September 1857), a German physician, explorer, botanist and zoologist, in the year 1823. The Thalasseus bergii is polytypic and includes five recognized subspecies.